Draft-equalizer.



No. 759,466. PATENTED MAY 10, 1904.

. G. W. PETER.

DRAFT EQUALIZER.

APYLIOATION FILED 113.11, 1904. No MODEL.

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ATTEST A INVENTOR.

TTY.

Patented May 10, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

GEORGE V. PETER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

DRAFT-EQUALIZER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. "759,466, dated May 10, 1904.

Application led February 1l, 1904. Serial No. 193,067- (No model.)

To all 'whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE WV. PETER, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a new and useful Equalizer, of which the following is a specification. y

This invention relates to equalizers or trebletrees; andit consists of the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts herein shown, described, and claimed.

The object of the invention is to provide an equalizer comprising a central member geared to the draft members at each side, whereby differential movement proportioned in scope inversely to the power is imparted by one draft member to the other whenever the horse or team at either side draws ahead or lags behind, the construction and arrangement being such as to maintain uniform leverage for both draft members throughout their varying movements, so that no advantage is gained by the horse or team ahead, no disadvantage thrown to those in the rear. This enables the horse or team behind to gain upon those in front without drawing more than the natural or predetermined proportion of the load.

Figure l is a plan View of the equalizer. Fig. 2 is a front view with the swingletrees omitted.

The member l is attached rigidly by means of braces, as shown, or otherwise, if preferred, to the vehicle, and at its center is mounted a gear-wheel 2 upon an axial pin 3.

The swingletree draft member or lever 4 is pivoted to the member 1 by the pin 5 and has a gear-segment 6 attached to its inner end, which segment is in constant mesh with the wheel 2. The method of attaching the segment 6 to the lever 4 is immaterial; butin the form shown the end of the lever extends into a socket in the segment and is fastened therein by bolts. A shoulder 7 is formed at each side of the sector, and when the lever 4 swings on its pivot the shoulder 7 eventually strikes one of the teeth on the wheel 2, and being' of less depth than that required to receive a tooth further movement of the lever is prevented. This position of the leveris shown by dotted lines in Fig. l, the said lever there being at the rear as far .as it may move.

as shown.

Near the opposite end of the member l from the lever 4 there is mounted a lever'8, to the outer end of which the doubletree is attached, The lever 8 is pivotcd upon the member l by a bolt or pin 9, and a gear-segment l() is attached to the inner end of said lever, said segment being meshed constantly with the wheel 2. The connection of the seg ment 10 with the lever may be the same as that described for the segment k(3 and lever 4, or any other preferred-method of attachment may be used. Shoulders l1, similar in construction and function to the shoulders 7, are formed on the sides of the segment l0, as shown in Fig. l.

The segments 6 and 10 must necessarily be retained in constant mesh with the wheel 2, as heretofore stated, and for holding them in such position I provide a retaining-strip 12, lying across the wheel 2, held thereon by the axial bolt 3 and having its ends overlying the segments 6 and l0, so that they cannot be raised out of mesh with the wheel by depression of the outer ends of their respective levers. The strip 12 is further retained in position by the bolt or pin 5, so that turning or displacement thereof is prevented.

To assist and coperate with the shoulders 7 and 11 in preventing too far movement on the part of the levers 4 and 8, I provide an auxiliary lock to stop rotation of the wheel 2,

or rather to define limits within which thel wheel can turn. This auxiliary lock consists of two pins, projections, or lugs, suoli as 13, diametrically opposite on the upper face of the wheel 2 and adapted to engage or strike against the edges of the strip l2 at the time the shoulders 7 and 1l engage the wheel 2, and thereby remove from the shoulders and wheel-teeth some of the strain incidental to holding' the levers.

The movement of the two levers. on their pivots is differential, determined by the relative distance of their pivots from the wheel and inversely to the power applied. This differential movement of the levers does not inure to the advantage of either horse or team, because the same power applied to either lever will produce the same result or effect irrespective of the position of the lever, or,

in other words, it requires just or approxi-V mately the same power to move either lever to turn the wheel in one position as in any other. Therefore the equality of draft as distributed among the horses will be effectively maintained irrespective of accidental displacement of the draft-levers from their alined position at the start.

I claim- 1. An equalizer comprising a main supporting member, two'draft-levers pivoted thereon, gear-segments attached to the inner ends of the draft-levers, a gear-wheel interposed between, and meshed with, said segments, a retaining-strip overlying the wheel and segments, projections on the upper face of the wheel to define the scope of rotation of the wheel, and shoulders on the segments to cooperate with the projections, substantially as specified.

2. In an equalizer, a support, two draft-levers pivoted thereon, a gear-segment on the inner end of each lever, an integral shoulder on each edge of each of said segments, said shoulders being of less depth than that required to receive a full tooth equal to the segment-teeth, a wheel on the support in mesh with the segments, a retaining-strip removably fastened over said wheel and projecting over the segments, and two projections 13 on said wheel, one of said projections being on each side of the retaining-strip, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with the draft-levers4 and 8, the gear-segments 7 and l() attached to said levers, and the gear-wheel 2 in mesh with the segments, all of said devices being mounted upon a suitable support attached to the vehicle or machine, of a retaining-strip extending across the wheel and projecting over the segments, means for holding said strip firmly in position, a pin or projection rigid with the wheel at each side of said strip and adapted to strike against the edges thereof to stop rotation of the Wheel, and cooperating stops on the segments adapted to act against the teeth of the wheel, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE W. PETER.

Witnesses:

J. D. RIPPEY, MERCER ARNOLD. 

